The Beginning
by Sadie's Tales
Summary: After a long few months, the SGC is having a get together in a local bar. Sam can't help but be amused at the reaction of the women around her to the men of the SGC. No beta so all mistakes are my own. First fic so I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

She was walking back from the bar when the ringleader caught her eye. It wasn't her fault. What was she supposed to do, turn around and ignore him? Because that would have gone down well.

The woman glared at her and bowed her head in towards the rest of the group, no doubt to pick Sam to shreds. Whatever. She was here on a night out with most everyone from the SGC. She really didn't want or need to concern herself with what these other women were saying. And if one of the other team leaders stopped her for a chat she was hardly going to walk past him just so as to avoid these women talking about her. It actually made her feel a little smug. It's not that she felt that way about any of the men in the SGC (well…with one rather commanding exception) but she got a strange satisfaction out of knowing the women were jealous.

They were clearly scouting, their eyes likes hawks scanning the crowds for anyone of interest. She couldn't really blame them. Apart from the fact that a lot of them were either taken or married, there were a lot of good looking men in the SGC. Not just the soldiers either, there were some seriously attractive 'up and comers' in the various science departments. Because she was both a scientist and a soldier, she just happened to know more of them personally than the average SGC employee. So it wasn't really her fault she kept getting stopped on the way back to the table. Not that those women cared, as far as she could tell they just wanted to be in her shoes. Who wouldn't? It was clear that this was a very close knit group. The camaraderie was at an all time high given the stress of the last few months so everyone was in great spirits. It the first big night out in a very long time. Almost everyone was here. Despite that, they didn't seem to realise that she was actually a part of it which is clearly why they were glaring at her. They thought she was one of them. An outsider to this group. If the men were talking to her then they were in with a chance and she was competition. If only they knew what they would have to give to get into this extended family. Sex and fancy hair dos would not cut it.

She finally made it back to the table and waited for the guys to arrive. She never liked being in massive crowds if she could help it so she got a table a little away from the rest of the group. That's probably why 'The Panthers', as she mentally named them, didn't realised she knew everyone here. Sitting down, she positioned herself so that she could partially see the group and hear them with ease. Daniel and Teal'c should be nearly here. She would be interested to see what the women thought of the two of them.

Teal'c's very impressive stature and overall presence would no doubt get their tongues wagging again. His quiet demeanour would have them wondering if they could be the one to loosen him up. His physique would have them calling for a doctor and his inevitable 'hat remaining on his head even though he's inside and it's very hot out' quirkiness would spark their curiosity.

As for Daniel, his slightly less intimidating yet still worthy presence and boyish charm would definitely be of interest. He had grown into himself throughout his years at the SGC. Through all the pain and heartache he had really found himself and was now fully comfortable with who he was. Having always seen him like a brother, all of his accomplishments made Sam immensely proud. It was always funny to her how he never seemed to notice the effect he had on women, especially on Earth. He seemed to really switch off his head whenever he actually decided to take a break from working and was totally oblivious to the advances of the opposite sex, numerous as they were.

And as for what they would think of the General, ha! That would be very enjoyable indeed. He was stuck at the SGC in a rather large meeting with 'the brass' so he would be late. She wondered if he would come in his dress blues, that would really get them going. On a normal day, Major General Jack O'Neill was a sight to behold but in his blues, oh she doubted they would survive. His mere presence would have most of the younger officers on high alert. The scientists too. After all, his not being in Colorado anymore made his legendary status all the more…legendary. A lot of the new officers had heard about him but had rarely, if ever, worked with him so they had only heard the tales the other officers recounted. Which were obviously exaggerated each time they were told, although, she thought ironically, not by much. They were impressive enough on their own merit so they didn't need much fluffing up. Even without the tales of old though, the man was a walking sin and there was no doubt in her mind that he would attract the most attention. He certainly got enough of it whenever she was with him.

She didn't have to wait long, as the first of her companions walked through the door. The whispering started almost immediately. From where she was sitting, the large group of ladies couldn't see her smile as they, rather loudly, checked the Teal'c out from head to toe.

"Who is he?"

"Those muscles are Devine"

"You could eat your dinner off them"

"Do you think he'd let me help him work his legs out?"

Sam laughed to herself as the comments got significantly more X-rated. She had to hand it to The Panthers, they were coming up with an entirely new workout routine for Teal'c in a very short space of time. He'd be working up a sweat in seconds if they got their hands on him. He had stopped to talk to Reynolds so the women had taken a few moments to just watch him after the initial excitement had died down. As he moved towards the bar, Daniel came into view from behind him. The chatter picked up again almost immediately.

"Oh hello"

"He is SO cute"

"Do you think they're friends?"

"Are they part of the military crew as well?"

"He doesn't look very military"

"Seriously, what is it going to take for you to get it into your head that this is not a military group"

"One guy was arguing about the potential benefits of some plant for human development with another. What would a horticulturist, or botanist, or whatever they're called, have to do with an underground military base in Colorado?!"

'You would be surprised…' mused Sam silently with a small smile as she listened to their argument heating up.

"But I definitely heard one of them same something about a Colonel Carter, whoever he is and they were talking about his most recent mission being a success…"

'**She**, whoever **she** is…wait a minute, who was talking about me?' Sam's interest peaked, 'Hmmm, who would have been speaking about me? Well, anyone really, they were probably just talking about the mission report. That was a close one, man we were beyond lucky there were no casualties this past week! I mean we…'

"OH. MY. GOD."

The dramatic tone shook Sam out of her reflections. She was ashamed to admit it but her initial reaction when she found the object of the woman's exclamation was the exact same thought. Oh. My. God.

There he was, standing in the doorway, taking in his surroundings with lightning precision. He hadn't actually moved but she could tell he was giving the whole place a once over. Old habits die hard. He looked like heaven and hell all at once. The poster boy (man?) for Air Force cool. Somewhere between the meeting and the bar he had lost the jacket and tie but he still had his shirt on with his sleeves rolled up. His top two buttons were undone and he was wearing aviators. Topping the whole look off was his irreverent grey hair that never behaved which stood out perfectly against his tanned skin. She loved that hair. He was the epitome of cool. He was clearly very self-assured, oozing confidence. A distinguished man who still had a playful side to him. Dangerous yet godly at the same time. Surprisingly (and thankfully), Washington had done nothing to his physique, he still looked like he could run a marathon and then some. She could picture his toned and tanned body under that uniform and it did things to her body that she couldn't quite comprehend.

Ugh, this was ridiculous. He was her commanding officer for years, he shouldn't still be able to do this to her! Especially because he hadn't actually done anything yet. He was still standing in the doorway, with his arm resting on a nearby partition just, chilling, it would seem.

She could sense the energy change in the room though almost as soon as he walked in. Everyone stood up a little straighter, even those who weren't from the SGC seemed to notice the difference. The women beside her were whispering furiously.

"Oh he is definitely military"

'He is my saviour"

'There's no ring on his finger"

"I want him **now**"

"I've never been so in love"

"He is mine!"

'Ooh, the ringleader has staked her claim. This should be interesting' Now it was Sam's turn to feel jealous. They couldn't have him. They weren't worthy of having him. They could never truly understand all of the intricacies that make up Jack O'Neill. How could they? She didn't even understand them all and she knew him better than almost anyone. Or at least she used to. Since he had been in Washington, they had rarely had the time to catch up in person. Although he read all of the mission files, she really didn't know what he had been up to since he left.

'Well no time like the present' she thought ruefully, determined to not let the minx one table over get her claws into him. If anyone was going to have Jack O'Neill tonight it was her. She had earned her turn and she was not going to wait anymore. She had dreamt about this for far too long and it was time to take action. She downed her drink and walked in his direction. They hadn't actually spoken properly at all since he got here a few days ago. He had been swamped with meetings with various heads of states, allies from around the galaxy and various SG team leaders. She too had been snowed under with a massive workload resulting from spending so much time in the field recently. As a result, they had barely had a chance to say two words to each other. All that was about to change though, come hell or high water.

She had to let him know what she was thinking, what she wanted, without making it too obvious to everyone else. How could she let him know that she was ready to move to the next step? He moved so he was standing beside Daniel and Teal'c with his back to her as she approached. If she hadn't been so concerned with what her next move was going to be, she would have laughed at the scene in front of her. Most of the junior staff members were just staring. There was a large group of female staff, both military and civilian, off to one side clearly loving the view. Surely he most know what his presence is doing to people? Suddenly, she was so close she could smell him, mmm did he smell good. It wasn't a particular scent that she could describe, but it was him. She knew it instantly. If she were to be stripped of all senses but smell in the morning, she would know instantly it was him. He was laughing lightly at something that was said. Oh, what a sound.

He turned as she stepped beside him and looked down at her. Those eyes that she was so in love with looked happy to see her, the sort of instant reaction that he used to try to shield from her. She knew then and there she wanted him forever and she was ready. He finished a sip of his beer and she looked at him coyly.

"Hi Jack"

His eyes darkened immediately and his features went from shocked to schooled almost instantly. He looked at her with an intensity that she hadn't seen in a very long time. She gave him a small smile and him a knowing look.

He swallowed his beer and stared at her for a long moment, before the warmth crept back into his eyes and a small lopsided smirk appeared on his face.

"Hello Sam, long time no see."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and/or followed this story. It really has been so encouraging to read you're comments, thank you for all your kind words. There will be at least one more chapter to this story after this which I will have up as soon as possible.

Again, all mistakes are mine, I noticed a few in the last chapter and tried to ensure there are none in this one. Enjoy x

"How are you keeping?"

"Oh you know, surviving…barely." Jack leaned in and muttered quickly under his breath while looking around with narrowed eyes. "It's a conspiracy, I know it is. They sent me to Washington so they could slowly torture me to death with reports. The infamous report-load method, known to cause a long-lasting fear of paper. Not to mention the 50 million paper cuts inflicted on the victim. I swear, it's worse than anything I've ever encountered. And it's working, I can feel myself wasting away." He wrapped his arms around himself dramatically to emphasise his point. "It won't be long now until I'm gone and they'll have gotten what they wanted all along." he finished his rant with a rather adorable pout and looked at her earnestly as if he really wanted her to resolve his problem.

Sam smiled. She had forgotten how nice it was to be around him. It was as if the past few years hadn't never happened and they were back to their old ways.

"I'll have my people look into it, we wouldn't want you dying now would we?" she said in a serious tone. "Who else would convince the mess to stock an unnecessarily large quantity of cake at all times!"

Jack gasped and stared at her with mock horror "Is that the only reason you're keeping me alive?"

"No, it's' not the **only** reason. It's just a particularly important one."

"So what are the other important reasons?" he asked, with a hint of petulance in his voice, eyeing her suspiciously.

At this point, Daniel and Teal'c, who had been watching the exchange with an expression of curiosity on their faces, looked at each other and wordlessly agreed to give the two some space to catch up.

'It's been a long time since they've been so comfortable in each others company.' Daniel mused as he slowly started to back away from the group. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Teal'c was doing the same thing. As they made their way over to a nearby group of field scientists, Daniel became aware of the fact that the vast majority of SGC personnel were beginning to focus their attention on the exchange between Jack and Sam. Some even appeared to be making bets. 'Obviously we're not the only ones who are invested in the thought of them together.'

There was a lot of whispering and gossiping going on around him and Daniel wasn't sure if… 'Did I just hear Colonel Harris giggle?' Turning on his heel he saw the 180 pound marine trying to contain his excitement as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. Shaking his head and laughing, Daniel was reminded that human nature makes us all root for those who deserve it most. That, he realised, was exactly what was going on. Everyone in the SGC knew of the sacrifices that they had made and were rooting for them to find happiness together. The fact that they now legally could pursue a relationship meant there were a lot of people counting down the seconds until it became a reality. No doubt the outcome of tonight would be the talk of the base for weeks.

Positioning himself so that he had a good view, he watched his two friends and wondered what the future would hold for them. Would they conquer their fears and give it a shot?

His eyes sparkling with laughter filled her heart and she felt more at peace than she had in a long time.

"Seriously though, I'm only good for cake eh?' Jack asked jokingly, bringing the conversation back to the earlier topic. "Not that I'm not proud of that fact but I was hoping I would be considered valuable for more than that."

'Your more valuable than you know sir." she retorted lightly.

He frowned, "Sir". His eyes left her face and rested on a spot on the ground behind her.

'Oh crap, way to ruin the mood Sam' she mentally berated herself. 'Fix it now"

"Sorry, ten years of habit are hard to forget."

He gave her a small smile, but his mouth remained closed.

'Double crap, say something to make this better.' She was looking at him and before she knew it the words just came out of her mouth.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've been calling you Jack in my head for years."

Closing her eyes and sighing, she mentally smacked her hand to her forehead, 'Oh for crying out loud, did I actually just say that out loud, to his face? Can someone please drag me out of here, I need to curl up in a ball and cease to exist for a while'

Straightening up she came face to face with an amused-looking General.'Well I got his attention anyway. I can tell he knows I'm mortified but he's looking far too smug for my liking'

"So" he started as he finished his beer and put it on the counter, "I've been in your head for years, have I? That's interesting." He was now staring at her with the same intensity as he was earlier in the night with the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Those lips that looked so inviting. After several seconds of her staring at his mouth, he cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow so high that Teal'c would even be impressed.

"Everything ok there, Sam?"

'Ok, time to go figure out what I'm doing here. I need a game plan before I say or do something ridiculous, again.'

"I'm going to the restroom" she said abruptly. He looked disappointed at her decision to leave. "Could you get me another drink, I think I might need it."

Nodding he turned to the bar as she slipped away to the ladies room. Squeezing past several colleagues who were looking at her a little more noticeably than usual, she went through the door and straight into a cubicle where she let out a very quiet, high pitched squeal. Frustration wracked through her body. 'You've been in my head for years, of all the things to say…' Letting herself back out into the main area of the restroom, she stayed rooted to the floor just staring at herself in the mirror for a few minutes before she decided if ever there was a time, this was it. She had a little liquid courage from the drinks in her system and she wanted to say what she was afraid to say before she chickened out.

'What's the worst that can happen? Well, you could decide to explain in detail the thoughts in which you call him Jack. That would be pretty bad' Shuddering slightly at the thought of that little disaster, she freshened up and went to go back to the bar. As soon as she opened the door, she immediately recognised a problem. A tall, inappropriately dressed, annoying problem. Standing at the bar with her hand flirtatiously placed on the General's arm was the Queen Panther. She was laughing at something he said and batting her eyes at every opportunity. Jack has his back to Sam so she couldn't judge his reactions.

'Well, this was not what I expected.'

Gathering up all the courage she could muster, she strode purposefully towards the bar.

All around the bar, the crowd watched with baited breath. The SGC personnel had settled in to watch what was fast becoming the event of the year. How was Colonel Carter, the ultimate problem solver, going to fix this one.

"Does this establishment sell popcorn?" Daniel heard Teal'c asking one of the lieutenants beside him who stared at him incredulously before excusing himself to find the answer to that question.

'This has just gotten a lot more interesting', thought Daniel as he turned his attention back to Sam who had just arrived at the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

OK, so there is going to be one more chapter after this which I hope to have up very soon. Thank you all so much for the reviews, they have been so encouraging! Also, again, apologies for any errors, I know they can disrupt the flow but one's eyes tend to not see them after the 5th time reading your own story. Enjoy

/

As Sam walked towards the bar she noticed that the rest of the Panthers had remained on the fringes of the SGC group. They were too intimidated by the large group she reckoned. They may have been on the outskirts but they were all looking at her, mentally crucifying her no doubt. While everyone was friendly enough, they wanted to spend time with each other. This was not the night for strangers…especially bitchy, overdressed, unnecessarily confident strangers who had set their sights on unattainable people, ugh!

One thing was certain though, she knew that at least 90% of the base 'if not all, but she was a scientist so she couldn't say **all** with absolute certainty unless she conducted a survey - and then it would have to be controlled, there would definitely be coercion that would have to be factored in, especially from the team leaders - oh, most, lets just say most and leave it at that!' Most of the base wanted her to be with Jack, not Queen trollop over here. That thought gave Sam all the confidence she needed. This woman wasn't a threat, just an irritant than needed to be removed. She strode over with her blood flowing just a little bit faster than normal. As she got closer, the Queen noticed her and placed her hand back on Jack's upper arm as she laughed unnecessarily loudly. Sam saw Jack look at the arm with a slight frown on his face. This was priceless. The Queen thought she had him and Jack was utterly confused as to why she kept touching him.

A collective inhalation of breath took place as Sam reached the bar. The noise level reduced significantly throughout the bar but much to their annoyance, the lack of talking from the SGC crew was not enough to ensure that they could hear what was being said. A few of the younger officers even looked towards the external sources of noise to try to get them to be quiet. Everyone was desperate to hear what was about to go down.

"Oh, is that mine? Thanks, Jack" Sam finished with a wink as she reached past him to pick up her drink. His initial shock at her appearing beside him was replaced by relief only to be almost instantly substituted by confusion.

'What is going on in this place tonight, is everyone on something that I don't know about? Why is Carter being so much more friendly than she used to be? And why is she calling me Jack? Not that I mind but it is a bit out of the blue. Aw hell, get a grip, O'Neill! You would let her call you anything she wanted just so you could hear her speak. But still, something has changed. Maybe she's decided to give us a shot? Nah, it's been years, what would have changed her mind after all this time? But then, ya never know. Hmm, I need to try figure her out without making it obvious. Man oh man, why does she smell so unbelievable? I'll have to ask her about that scent later.'

Sam looked at the woman standing next to her with the most insincere smile she had ever mustered "I don't believe we have met, I'm Sam." She extended her hand and almost snorted at the look the woman gave her.

Looking at Sam's extended hand, she very obviously and slowly moved her hands tighter to her sides, refusing to accept the gesture. "I'm Meredith. Jack and I were just discussing his work"

This time Sam did snort, while taking a swig of beer, in an extremely un-ladylike manner. The Queen looked incensed while Jack smacked Sam's back as she tried to breathe normally again.

"Sorry, went down the wrong way." she spluttered with watery eyes. Jack looked amused.

"Do you mind me asking what was so funny about us discussing his work. He happens to have quite an important job with the Air Force in Washington."

She proceeded to look Sam up and down quite obviously, "If you're not interested in having intelligent conversations I suggest you find someone else to annoy, Jack and I were enjoying each others' company without getting interrupted by someone who can't even swallow." At that, she gave Jack a rather suggestive look.

'**Are you kidding me?** Oh hell no, she did not just say that out loud, to my face, in front of him!'

Sam squared up to the woman and in a measured voice retaliated, "Intelligent conversation? Discussing a classified position with a two star General in a bar on a Friday night is not only socially bizarre, it's not exactly riveting when you have absolutely no idea what he's talking about. Oh and trust me, swallowing is not a problem." With that, she took another swig of beer to settle herself.

Jack's eyebrows had almost hit his hairline. His eyes darted between the two women as they went back and forth, focusing on Carter more often. He wasn't really sure what to do.

"Oh really, and what would you suggest discussing then if your so clever?"

Sam looked at Jack and smiled before turning back to the woman in front of her. 'Oh I don't know, The Simpsons, fishing, hockey…Mary Steenburgen if I was really stuck!"

Jack rolled his eyes and genuinely grinned at the same time, looking at Sam with admiration.

Now it was the Queen's turn to snort, "The Simpsons? You have got to be kidding. You want to discuss a children's cartoon with an Air Force General? Go play in the corner," she said condescendingly as she nodded her head over towards a group of younger airmen, "the pups are over there!"

'Oh for crying out loud, who is this one beside me? I'd forgotten her name before she had finished saying it. She's annoying and she's interrupting Carter time. She needs to leave now before the Gods decide to interrupt…'

Right at that moment, Jack's phone starting ringing. He groaned, "Can't these people ever give me a night off?"

He looked down at his phone. 'The president, fantastic'

"Duty calls, excuse me ladies." He looked apologetically at Sam as he walked past them towards the front door.

Unbeknownst to the Queen, he let his hand run along the small of Sam's back as he made his way past her to indicate his support. She relished the feeling both physically and emotionally. He always seemed to know when she wanted or needed some sort of encouragement. With that in her head she looked back towards the woman she was coming to loathe.

"Look," Sam started, determined to set the woman straight.

"No, you look, I don't know who you think you are but he is mine. You don't stand a chance. If I was you, I would walk away while you can but if you really want to see a master at work then by all means, stay and take notes." With that she took a mirror out of her bag and started to reapply her lipstick.

Sam stood in shock. 'My God, this woman has some nerve. Alright honey, lets see if you can't **totally** humiliate yourself. No more playing nice.'

"I think I'd like to see that, to be honest," Sam almost spat. "Good luck, you'll need it."

The queen stopped her hand a fraction away from her lips and gave Sam a glare that would put an incensed, insulted and provoked Goa'uld to shame.

"Suit yourself. Little girls do need to learn from somewhere I suppose."

Though they couldn't hear, everyone could tell that something had been said which had intensified the word-war between the two women. You could practically hear the prayers for Sam to knock her out.

'There was something oddly annoying about the woman, her whole demeanour was arrogant' thought Daniel. He was going to go up and rescue Sam from the clutches of this woman until Teal'c put his arm on his shoulder.

"Major Carter will win this battle on her own merit, of this I am sure."

"They're not actually going to fight, Teal'c."

"It is a battle none the less."


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so I'm very sorry to those who have been waiting so patiently for me to update this story. Life caught up with me in a major way so I struggled to find time to write. This chapter ends kind of abruptly but I'm actually splitting it in two as I haven't finished it but I wanted to get something up today. So there will be one more chapter after this one.

To all those who were so complimentary, thank you so much for your support, it's so exciting to see a positive response to something I have created. To those who picked up on the errors, thank you for the attention to detail, I would be the same but it's a bit different when it's your own story. You can only re-read something so many times. But I agree that they are frustrating so, as always, I will attempt to make sure this chapter has none. *Fingers crossed*

Finally to the lovely community member who wrote such an encouraging PM, thank you so much. You made me get back to writing so thank you!

Enjoy!

"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir. You too. See you next week."

Thankfully the president only wanted to congratulate Jack on his efforts over the past few days. Their relationships with the other nations on Earth had been strengthened thanks, in no small part, to Jack and his apparent ease in dealing with the alien ambassadors. While most Earth leaders found Jack difficult to deal with on a good day they could more than tolerate him if it meant stronger allies for Earth. In reality, most of them liked Jack on a personal level but General O'Neill could be a right pain in the ass. For some reason though, almost every ally they met seemed insistent on working with O'Neill or else not at all. If that's what it took, then so be it. They were being more cooperative than ever and as of right now, things were looking good.

The president told Jack to take the week off which suited him fine. With no emergencies or urgent missions around the corner, there would be a lot of people around Colorado to hang out with. Not that he particularly wanted to hang out with a lot of people, if he was honest he was really only interested in one. Speaking of, something had definitely changed with Carter. He wasn't complaining but he daren't let himself hope that it could mean something for them…could he?

'Only one way to find out I guess' Her reaction to the other woman was very interesting, he had never seen her quite so defensive before. Subtle as always, of course, to an outside observer but he could still read her like a book. She could read him too mind you, so if he wasn't careful she would know his hopes and fears with just one look.

'Would that be the worst thing? Maybe it's time I let her in.'

Jack stayed looking out into the darkening sky for a few moments. The sky had such an array of colours speckled across it that the beauty he was witnessing rivalled anything Jack had seen in all his travels. 'Ironic,' he thought, 'you can travel across the universe time and time again and it's the view in your own back yard that renders you speechless. If only the people on this planet realised what we have.'

'Right,' he decided as he mentally shook himself out of his musing, 'time to face the music, God help me!'

Back in the bar, the tension was at an all time high. It had been a good 10 minutes since Jack had left. The SCG staff had resumed their conversations but at a very muted level. Sam and Meredith were casting glares at each other while they waited at the bar in complete silence. Complete, very awkward, silence.

'If it was any other man he would not be worth this!' thought Sam somewhat spitefully. 'This is absolutely ridiculous.'

The Queen checked her hair for about the 5th time and Sam was ready to hit her.

She gave Sam another once over before smirking as she went to go put her mirror back into her sparkly bag.

'Her stupid hair won't be saved from the mirror in her equally stupid bag' though Sam with irritated satisfaction. Jack never liked fussy-ness and the only way to describe that hair do was - fussy. The sparkly bag looked ridiculous in a place like this and she just looked stupid over all. Really, really stupid.

'How mature of you', she mentally berated herself. 'Oh, whatever, it's not like anyone can hear me. Stupid, overdressed, fool.' Sam didn't care if she was acting childish. This woman had rubbed her up the wrong way and it was annoying her more than usual.

The opening of a door brought the volume in the room to a low again. 'God, I'd forgotten how good he looked. No way am I letting him go to this one.'

The Queen looked at Sam condescendingly. "Take notes" she said with a smug smile as she turned towards the door.

'Why is this place so quiet?' Jack wondered. Looking around he spotted Carter and the woman-who-just-would-not-quit and began to walk towards them. He couldn't understand why this Mary lady had such a smug smile on her face, he had shown her less than zero interest. Even on his worse days, she wouldn't be his type. Looking past her to Carter his heart fluttered a little. 'Damn, she looks so good.'

Suddenly it hit him why the place was so quiet. 'Aw, crap. They're keeping tabs. Typical. The SGC rumour mill will be in overdrive because of this.' Giving his best General glare to a few of the younger officers scared them enough to give most people the hint but the increase in the noise level was still not loud enough to convince him that people wouldn't be eavesdropping.

As he approached, Meredith knew she had to up her game. 'How this woman thinks she has a chance with him is beyond me. Yes, she's reasonably attractive if you're into the more masculine type of woman, but she doesn't have a hope. The Simpsons? I mean come on. How he didn't laugh in her face at that one. He just smiled politely, which is probably a good trait but that was just ridiculous. Even though he doesn't know either of us, I already have the upper hand. I'll be damned if I can't get his attention more than her. After all, they didn't call me The Vulture in college for nothing!

He hadn't even made it back to the two women when Meredith moved towards him.

"So, Jack, where were we?"

"Um," Jack looked past her to Sam who rolled her eyes and shrugged simultaneously. 'This woman needs to go' he thought.

"I was actually under the impression our conversation was over to be honest." Blunt, but it's not like he wanted her to stay.

'Point 1 to me' Sam thought gleefully as Jack moved around her to the bar. Meredith had no choice but to walk back to where she was originally standing.

"Haha, I think you were telling me about your trip, no?" Meredith asked with an amused smile.

'Fake amused!' Sam observed.

"You're in Colorado for a few days are you not? I'll have to give you the tour, there are a lot of things to do here," she said as she looked up at him over her glass of wine.

"Actually I've lived in Colorado for the past 20 years so I know it like the back of my hand." Jack stated simply as he took a swig of his beer. "But thanks for the offer" Jack added rather lamely as an afterthought.

"20 years and we've never met before? That's almost a crime! Where have you been hiding?" she asked with mock horror. 'If the Air Force have been keeping you in that mountain for that long, I really must file a complaint." She looked at him coyly before taking a deliberately slow sip of her wine.

At this point Sam was at a bit of a loss. Jack clearly wasn't interested in this woman yet she kept on going. It was getting a bit painful but she wasn't really sure what to say. Just at that moment, Jack leaned on the bar and crossed his feet. 'Bingo!' There was a stool that if sat upon would bring it's occupant closer than necessary to Jack's left side. 'Perfect way to say a whole lot without saying anything at all,' Sam noted.

Moving rather quickly incase the Queen got the same idea, Sam sat on the stool with her back to the bar. Her quick movements shocked Jack and he recoiled slightly much to the Panthers delight. However once he gathered himself and realised what she was doing, Jack moved in closer than before with his left forearm resting lightly behind Sam's back, barely touching her but she relished the feeling. They both did. The forbidden love, which was no longer forbidden, needed very little encouragement to come bubbling toward the surface.

'Oh, no, she doesn't. I'm not giving up that easily.' Meredith scowled. 'Time to show her how a pro gets the job done. Nothing like a game plan to get the boat rocking. Step 1 - Compliment and gain some useful information.'

"So really, what had they got a prime solider such as yourself doing locked away in that mountain for all those years?"

"Paperwork, mostly." Jack said with a slight huff in his voice.

Sam smiled inwardly. 'They could no more get General Jack O'Neill to do paperwork than they could get Ball to play nice.' General Hammond was even considering hiring someone whose sole job was to ensure Jack did his paperwork at one point until he realised that he'd never get anyone to last longer than a week!

"Oh I doubt that. A man with your physique clearly kept in shape. I'd imagine they had you doing a lot more than paperwork. Was it anything to do with these plants that could potentially end world hunger?"

'Well that has gotten his attention, and hers. Ha, watch and learn, little girl, watch and learn.'

Jack straightened quite visibly. "Excuse me? Where did you hear about that?" For the first time, his full attention was on the woman in front of him.

'Surely she can't think what little she heard is going to impress him?' Sam questioned internally.

'Step 2 - Move the discussion towards a topic of interest. Where possible, indicate a deeper knowledge of the topic to spark further curiosity. If he's interested in this plant, then that's the new discussion.'

"Oh don't worry, I don't know too much. I know what you military types are like, all secretive and such," she said with exaggerated hand movements.

"While I don't know too much more than that, I have to say, my interest is peaked. A plant like that is certainly not something that should be kept a secret, don't you agree? Think of the possibilities if more people knew about it."

'Step 3 - Throw in a bit of intelligence to capture their interest. Show them you're more than just a one-night kind of deal.'

"I mean the scientific implications are huge. Even if it doesn't end up proving valuable in terms of global production, the fact that it even has the potential is very encouraging."

"It's a plant." Jack said in an exasperated voice before he caught himself. He reigned himself in a little bit before continuing. "I mean it sounds very interesting but I don't actually know what you're talking about. Where did you hear about it?"

Jack looked over her head as he spoke, to the SCG staff speckled around the bar. In reality it could have been anyone. With so many people from the base in the same place and the drinks flowing, conversations would no doubt be less discrete than they should be. If he wasn't as concerned about what he had just heard he would find the speed with which many eavesdropping eyes snapped down to the floor as he looked up somewhat amusing. 'Guilty as sin,' he thought wryly as he brought his attention back to the woman in front of him.

With a quick smirk towards Sam after mistaking his response as enthusiasm towards her, Meredith directed her attention back to Jack. 'Step 4 - If necessary, get rid of distractions'

"Oh I overheard a few of the base staff talking about it. They were all very excited about it. It was kind of cute actually."

"Babbling scientists aren't cute," Jack disagreed, "well most of them anyway." as he glanced towards Sam and nudged her back gently with his left arm unknown to their companion.

She blushed and looked down with a small smile.

Getting a little desperate, Meredith decided to be a little more forward. "We should discuss it over dinner sometime. I'd really be interested in hearing more about it."

'Jeez, she's really clutching at straws here. It's a plant. Very few people are that interested in plants,' thought Sam.

"Look, I told you already, I don't know anything about this plant and I'm really not interested in discussing it or it's potential benefits on my week off." Jack said candidly.

"Well that's fair enough, who wants to talk about work when they're off. I can think of plenty of other things we can discuss'" she said with a wink. "Would Tuesday or Wednesday evening suit you better?"

'Wow, that was forward.' Sam looked to Jack to watch his reaction with interest. How was he going to get out of this one.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm actually busy for most of the week already. I have friends to see on Wednesday and I'm planning on watching the game on Tuesday night so…"

"Oh I love basketball." Meredith responded, her face lighting up. "We should watch it together."

"It's a hockey game, pity." Sam stated plainly with clear disdain in her voice.

The Queen glared at her.

'Oh, you can speak, I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten how." she practically spat at Sam.

"I was just waiting for a conversation worth joining. Good thing that one was put to an end or I would have been waiting a very long time." Sam responded with her face beginning to heat up just a little.

With one final icy stare in Sam's direction, Meredith made another attempt for Jack's affections.

"What about a coffee then?" she almost sang with a sickly sweet smile. "There's this beautiful little cafe just down the road that do fantastic cakes."

At the mention of cakes, Jack perked up. He was starting to get very hungry. Thankfully he curbed his enthusiasm enough to finish this once and for all.

"Look, while I'm flattered you asked, I really don't think so. Colonel Carter and I are looking to catch up as we haven't seen each other in a long time so maybe you could give us…"

In a moment of desperation, Meredith jumped on her last chance.

"Oh, you know Colonel Carter too?"

Jack was now very confused. Did these two know each other?

"Um, yes I do…clearly," he said as he glanced between the two.

"I actually know the Colonel rather well," she practically purred.

Looking from Meredith to Sam and back again, Jack responded sceptically, "You do?"


	5. Chapter 5

Not too sure why this chapter didn't finish the story but the next one will. I love the review, both good and constructive so please let me know what you think! Enjoy x

Now Jack knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box when it came to certain situations but he liked to think he could read people pretty well. At least people who weren't trained to hide their true intentions. He could still read them too mind you, but they required a bit more work. Your average person, however, was pretty easy to read. This lady, though, had thrown him for a loop. His instincts told him she was lying but they weren't in elementary school anymore, did people still do this?

Ok, maybe he had been out of the dating scene for a bit too long. A woman scorned is a sight to behold, he knew that much from previous experience. But still, he had given this woman no inclination that he liked her so why was she doing this?

She laughed in a such a way that her growing frustration was evident. "And why, **Jack**, would you be so surprised to hear I know Colonel Carter?"

The way she said his name sent a shiver down his back.

"Well", he paused and glanced at Sam who was looking directly at the woman in front of her, "I just figured if you knew each other as well as you say you do, the two of you might have spoken more tonight that's all."

"There's plenty of time for that, my dear," she said in a condescending manner, "come join us when you get the chance," she finished as she took her drink and walked away, after giving Sam a final once over.

She made her way towards the rest of The Panthers and left a very confused Jack looking at Sam with an expectant look on his face.

"Carter?" he questioned.

"I don't know what to say Sir, I don't know her. At all. I've never seen her, never been introduced to her her," Sam said as she turned to look at him, "I've never even heard of her."

"Well, this is odd." he said as he looked after the woman who had just walked away.

The abrupt nature of The Queen's departure from the conversation at the bar had tongues wagging across the board. The Panthers huddled together and were whispering furiously. The SGC staff were trying to at least be a little bit more inconspicuous. But even those few at the bar that were a part of neither group were beginning to pay attention.

"Oh, Ms Sparkle has left, I wonder what was said?"

Daniel turned as her heard yet another opinion on the scene at the bar being expressed. 'Who are these people? I don't recognise any of them,' he wondered to himself. As he looked around the bar he noticed more than a few people that he didn't recognise giving their two cents.

Having heard more than enough people gossiping, Daniel decided to go check on the two unintentional conversation starters to see how they were getting on. 'Who knew the idea of a few drinks after work would cause so much talk about these two!' he thought as he made his way towards them.

"Well guys, quite the turn out tonight isn't it?" Daniel said cheerfully as he neared his friends. Jack looked at him with a smirk, he had missed Daniel. Even though he was convinced Daniel was sent here to torment him at times, he had always had a soft spot for him. He had never met someone who could irritate him so much, yet make him open up in a way that no one else could. Daniel Jackson was a true friend, no matter how long they had been apart.

As Daniel reached his two friends, The Queen reached The Panthers.

"Take my bag, it's driving me nuts" she said distractedly as she pushed her bag into one of her companions hands while downing her drink in one.

"What happened?" asked one of her braver friends.

"What do you mean what happened?!" She said with a glare. "Everything is going according to plan, he'll be eating out of my hand by the end of the night, just you watch!" she practically spat at her friend as she looked around her at the other patrons. As she searched, her gaze settled on a group of young looking airmen who were standing nearby.

'Bingo.' she smirked internally.

The group were close enough that she could make out part of their conversation.

"Yeah, but the Colonel is also an scientist. There is no way that would have gone un-noticed. I overheard the scientists from the biology department saying that if Carter hadn't figured it out they would have been screwed. They could have blown up the entire level even though the sample was so small. Good thing they got their results double checked!" one overly enthusiastic airman said rather forcefully to the whole group. "And no, the General headed SG1 for years when he was a Colonel. That's why they're so close. I asked Colonel Walker and he said that given all that the Colonel and the General had been through over the years, their friendship wasn't surprising!"

"Oh, get off it Taylor?" one of the group piped up. "Stop following Carter's every move or you'll have the General on your back. Got a little crush do we?" his friend goaded. "Colonel, your work on the Stargate program is so inspiring" he imitated much to the group's delight, "you make me sick!" The rest of the group laughed as the airman blushed. "Screw you Reed, I just recognise good work when I see it!" the Airman huffed.

Meredith smiled to herself, she had found the people she needed. With that, she left her posse and walked towards the group who once they noticed her approach, began to look all too intimidated. They didn't know who she was but given that she was just talking to the legendary General O'Neill and the equally well known Colonel Carter, they were very aware of how they should act. The fact that she was even seen with those two meant they had to be on their best behaviour.

'Hello boys," she purred, "I was hoping you could help me." She looked at them with a devilish smile,

They looked at each other nervously. What could she possibly want with them. Eventually Lieutenant Wilson decided to speak up. "What can we help you with ma'am?"

"Well, I'm looking for Colonel Carter, we haven't seen each other in a while and we need to catch up."

The confused looks they sent each other increased her annoyance at this whole matter ten fold. "I'm not looking for opinions on the matter, I just need you to direct me to the Colonel. If that's too difficult for you to do, I'll ask elsewhere" she fumed, her irritation at the situation starting to boil over.

"The Colonel is over there talking with General O'Neill" the Lieutenant said as he pointed towards the group she had just left.

She looked over at the group and a satisfied look settled on her face. "Thank you, that wasn't so hard was it?" she asked patronisingly as she left.

She stalked towards 3 out of the 4 original SG1 members, leaving a bemused group looking after her.

"Daniel, you always manage to get yourself into those situations," Sam laughed as Daniel finished recounting a story of his recent escape from an overzealous native during his last mission.

"It's not my fault!" protested Daniel. "Their culture assumes that holding hands means a proposal. I just tried to help her up off the ground!"

"Daniel, in all our years in SG1, how many girls just happened to find a way to get their hands on you? Carter's right, you have a knack for getting girls that most men would envy!"

Their banter continued for a few minutes before Daniel felt a pull on his arm.

"Colonel Carter, it's been a while, how are you?"

Daniel looked down at the woman staring up at him with expectant eyes.

"Sorry, what?" he asked, totally confused.

"Haha, don't pretend you don't remember me. It's Meredith, how are you? Long time no see! It has to be at least 6 months since we've seen each other. You're looking well!"

Daniel was totally confused, Jack was fast realising what was going on and Sam, feeling intense embarrassment on behalf of the woman in front of her, was looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Daniel queried.

"Colonel, are you trying to suggest you don't remember me?" Meredith asked, with a slight edge in her voice as she smiled at Jack.

"Ehm, I'm not a Colonel," Daniel said looking between Jack and Sam, "I'm not even in the Air Force." he finished quietly quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the scene unfolding in front of them. 'What the hell is going on?!' he thought.

'Sam internally cringed. 'Oh God, oh God, oh God, she has absolutely no idea! Please tell me this isn't happening.'

Meredith looked at him with a bemused look. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Daniel looked at her earnestly. "I'm not in the Airforce, nor have I ever been or wanted to be for that matter!"


End file.
